In a country as democratic as America, it is no surprise that the right to vote is no longer barred on a basis of race, gender, or wealth. The 26th Amendment enfranchised 18-year-olds, thus enabling all legal adults to vote, no matter their background.

However, some believe that America’s right to vote does discriminate – on the basis of age.

Historically, the United States has proved its democratic tendencies through the vast amount of civil liberties granted to its citizens, free and fair elections, an open judiciary, etc. However, this has not always been the trajectory that America has followed. In the age of Jacksonian democracy (1820s-1830s), voting requirements were finally no longer based on wealth or property, creating universal white male suffrage. Then, during the Reconstruction era (post-Civil War), the 15th Amendment was passed, giving black males the right to vote. There were, however, boundaries attempting to prevent them from fully exerting their right to vote, such as poll taxes and literacy tests. Furthermore, the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote. With these new demographics  having the right to vote , the precedent was set  for the 26th Amendment, which lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 (Kennedy).

The 26th Amendment passed due to the fact that the Vietnam draft allowed 18-20 year olds to go to war but not vote. When voting for people aged 18+ became legal federally, voting for 18-20 year olds was still not mandatory on a state or local level. A court case, Oregon v. Mitchell (1970), highlighted this issue and prompted Congress to issue the 26th Amendment (Benson and Morley).

There are logical reasons and scientific facts to back up the positives for lowering the voting age, an age-old debate. For instance, cold cognition, the process of making one’s own decision rationally and by oneself, seems to fully develop or reach adult levels by 16 years of age (Steinberg). This proves that 16-year-olds have the skillset and mental ability to vote and make informed decisions, effectively refuting  the argument that young people are too immature to vote. Next, voting would give younger people a necessary platform to become more civically engaged. With limited opportunities of political involvement at a young age, opening voting to 16-year-olds would be a great step to further civic education. A study from Austria, a country who has already lowered its voting age, showed  that younger voters typically make equally informed decisions as older voters, as they “cast votes in ways that enable their interests to be represented equally well” (Wagner et. al). Furthermore, everybody is affected by their representatives, not just adults, which means that younger civilians should also have a say in choosing a candidate who will represent them. The laws that come into effect are not limited by age.

It was by this logic that the 26th Amendment came into effect: younger civilians were affected by the federal agenda and were thus given the right to vote. 

Finally, there is a legal argument to refute the claim that the 26th Amendment makes it illegal for those younger than 18 to vote. The language of the amendment proclaims that “citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age” (“Twenty-Sixth Amendment”). It simply states that 18 year olds will not be denied the right to vote, but it does not prohibit the voting age from being lowered any further, making this a very realistic possibility in the future.

There are initiatives that are currently  attempting to lower the voting age. Organizations such as Vote 16 encourage the voting age to be lowered, and it has state chapters who are actively trying to work towards their goal in local areas first. Their efforts and others have caused some experiments to happen within the US’s borders with a voting restriction to those who are 16+. The right to vote for 16-year-olds has been extended from cities in Maryland, such as Takoma Park (2013), all the way to cities in California, such as Berkeley (2016) (Douglas). 

Representatives in Congress have been trying to propose this  on the national  stage, and H.J.Res.16, introduced by New York Representative Grace Meng in January 2023 reintroduced the debate over the issue. But, so far, no progress has been made. The lack of a national bill has led to several bills within states, such as SB776 in Oregon or HB0338 in Utah, the latter of which was ultimately shot down. However, this Utah bill shows real progress, as it was the first of its kind to meet the state’s legislative branch (“State legislatures consider…”). 

The debate over voting age seems that it will be a persistent issue for a while, and these organizations and initiatives will continue to advocate for it. Further, efforts are constantly being made within the states to work on building up a foundation from a local level to a national level, so while it may still be a while before a bill gets passed through the House, it is certain that the movement for youth voice in government will not rest.